Fire-back



m Mel) s. BERNSTEIN.

FIRE BACK.

Patented Dec. .4

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' U ITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL BERN STEIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FIRE-BAG K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,959, dated December 4, 1888.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL BERNSTEIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Backs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement which may be applied with advantage to firebacks generally, and whatever may be the particular'adaptation thereofthat is, whether for stoves or the like, or open fire-placesprovided it be applied to the surface immediately affected by the flame. Idesign my improvement, however, more particularly for use in fire-places or open grates, and especially for such as employ gas as fuel. This being the immediate connection for which I have designed my improvement, I limit it in the main thereto, for the sake of convenience in the description hereinafter contained, and illustrate it in such connection in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows an open grate in front elevation provided with my improved fire-back. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a clamp I employ for applying asbestus fiber to the fire-brick and showing it as holding such asbestus fiber. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through Fig. 1 and enlarged; Fig. 4, abroken view, in front elevation, of the slotted firebrick enlarged and partly provided with the asbestus-fiber adjunct; and Fig. 5, a broken transverse section of the fire-brick, enlarged, and showing slots and the means I employ for applying the asbestus fiber.

My invention consists in the specific construction of the clamp holding the asbestus fiber, and in combinations of parts.

A is an open fire-place at the back of which is fire-brick B, provided at suitable intervals with vertical slots 3, and at the base of the fireplace, slightly forward and transverse thereof, is a perforated pipe or conduit, 1", through which gas is supplied.

. C C are clamps, each formed of a flat strip of metal bent longitudinally flatwise upon itself at the center and having the upper ends of the sides, where they are separated at the back, as shown, bent in opposite lateral directions to afford stops q, Fig. 2. Strands of Application filed December 19, 1837- Serial No.258,380. (No model.)

asbestus or asbestus fiber, D, are bent at their.

centers each upon itself and inserted between the sides of the clamps throughout the length of the latter, or substantially so, and clamped to hold the strands by compressing the sides of the clamps C. The clamps are inserted into the slots 3, in which they fit snugly, and are supported by the stops g, which extend from the slots over the lateral edges thereof, as shown. The asbestus fiber is then combed or otherwise treated to extend it laterally in both directions from each clamp over the surface of the fire-brick, which thus becomes substantially covered therewith. When the fire is lighted, (by touching a match or other lighter to the perforated conduit 1*, to which gas is admitted,) the flame spreads over the surface of the fire-back which the brick and asbestus fiber thus constitute, and rapidly (almost instantly) reduces the asbestus fiber to an incandescent state, which, besides producing a most attractive appearance as an incident, affords a large heatradiating surface and intercepts and radiates into the apartment a large portion of the heat which would otherwise escape through the flue.

The slots in the fire-brick permit the medium for holding the asbestus fiber to be so effectually shielded from contact with the flame that it is not injured thereby. The clamps C render the asbestus fiber readily removable and adjustable, so that when the lat ter becomes impaired with use, as by being coated with soot or otherwise, it, or so much as is contained in any number of the clamps and requires removal, may be taken out and replaced by new. Therefore dealers in my improvement may find it necessary to keep on hand clamps C, containing the asbestus fiber, to supply the demand of users.

Fire-brick forms the most desirable substance for the application of the asbestus fiber. I do not, however, wish the term firebrick in the following claims to be understood as a limitation to the article known as fire-brick, since any other suitable substance, including metal, is included as within the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of asbestus fiberD and a clamp, emnprising' a strip of metal bent l l i 1 lengthwise upon themselves, holding the ashestus fiher between their sides, and having stops (1 and inserted into the slots .s-,sul stantiallv as deserihed.

SAMl'EL BERN STEIN.

In presence of .lUhlUS W. DYRENF RTH, CHAS. E. GAYLORD. 

